EU citizens’ 3 questions to stay in Britain
Javid’s test for ‘settled status’
THREE million EU citizens will have to answer three “simple” questions online if they want to stay in Britain after Brexit.
They will need to prove who they are, whether they have any criminal convictions and whether they live here, it was announced yesterday.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said that the “default” position would be to quickly grant, not refuse, “settled status” claims within two weeks.
The £170million scheme will be compulsory for the 3.3 million EU citizens in the UK. It will cost £65 for adults to apply and £32.50 for children, and they will have had to have been here for five years by December 31, 2020.
Most will be able to fill out the forms on a website or a mobile app. Registration should start from the autumn to avoid a last-minute rush when the UK quits the EU in March. Those who pass will be free to go on living and working in Britain. The Home Office stressed that its checks on convictions will focus on “serious and persistent criminality” here and abroad rather than “parking fines”.